Grading and earth-moving machine.



W. S. BALES,`

GRADING AND EARTH MOVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED .IANII 9.*Al9l5.

Pgltyented Jan. 22,* 19418I z'sIIEIzTs-sIIETI;l

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WALTER BALES W. S. BALES.

GRADING AND EARTH MOVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN9| 1.915.

Lgm. Patented Jan. 22,1918.

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OF DES MOINES,

IOWA.

GRADING AND EARTH-MOVING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters .Patent Patenten aan. e2, isis.

Application tiled January 9, 1915. Serial No. 1,414.

Eaith-Moving Machine, of which -the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for a grading and earth-moving machine.

A further ob]ect of this invention is to' provide an improved motor driven grading 'machine having one or more endless diggers mounted at andcarried by the forward end thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved motor driven grading machine having one or more digger heads mounted for lateral rectilinear reciprocation on the forward end thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved grading lmachine having an endless digger head mounted for altitudinal adjustment at the forward end thereof.

A further object of `this invention is to provide an improved frictional transmission for driving a grading machine.

A further object of this inventionjs to provide an improved crumbing blade` cooperating with the endless diggers.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine, dotted lines indicating anadjusted position of the lower portion of the endless diggers. Fig. 2 is a front elevatgion of thesame, dotted lines indicating folded position of the lateral conveyer extension.

In the construction of the machine as l shown the numeral 10 designates a bed frame carried at its rear end on a supporting and steering roller 11, through a yoke 12, and at its forward end on supporting and driving wheels 13, 14. A prime mover, such as a steam engine 15, is mounted on the rear portion of the bed frame 10 and drives wheels 13 and 14 by any desired means capable of driving the Wheels 13 and 14 in either direction. A steering rod 23 is journaled in the bed frame 10 and is provided with a hand wheel 24 at its upper end. A cable 25 is wound in its central portion on and fixed Y tothe lower end of the steering rod 23 and has its ends secured to opposite ends of the yoke 12, whereby the machine may be steered by oscillating the roller 11, the central portion of said yoke being pivoted to the frame 10 for oscillation on a vertical axis. Standards 26 ai'e fixed to and rise from the bed frame 10 and a roof or canopy 27 preferably is fixed to and carried by said standards.

Standards 28 are fixed to and rise from the extreme forward end of the bed frame 10 and a bracket frame 29 is mounted thereon, extends forwardly, and is vertically slidable on said standards. Any desired means may be employed for raising and lowering the bracket frame 29. For this purpose I have shown a 'shaft 30 journaled for rotation in the lower ends of the' standards 28 and having a crank 31 on one end forV manual rotation thereof. A'bevel gear 32 is fixed to the shaft 30 and mesheswith and is adapted to drive a bevel gear 33 fixed to a screw shaft 34 journaled for rotation in upright position between the standards 28. The screw shaft 34 is threaded through the lower portion of the bracket frame 29 and is adapted in its rotation to raise and lower said frame and the elements carried thereby in a common manner.

Laterally spaced and connected digger heads 35, 36 are mounted on the bracket frame29 andare adapted for transverse reciprocation thereon in front of the machine during the digging operation. The digger heads 35, 36 preferably are mounted on rollers 37 riding on the bracket frame. Telescoping masts 38, 39 are ixed to and depend from the digger heads 35, 36 and endless diggers, designated generally by the nu; merals 40,41, are mounted for travel on said heads and masts. The endless diggers here shown 'comprise endless sprocket chains carrying excavating devices, and are illustrated a-nddescr'ibed in detail in my companion application tiled'March 3, 1915, Serial Number 11,924, for ditching and earthmoving machine, to which application reference hereby is made.

A prime m'over 42, here shown as a twin cylinder steam engine, is mounted on a platform 43 carried by the digger heads 35, 36, and is supplied with steam by a pipe 44 from the boiler of the prime mover 15, said pipe being suspended by hangers 45 from the roof 27, and formed at its forward endwith a flexible portion or tube 44'. rIhe crank shafts 42a of the engine 42 are connected by sprocket gearing 46, 47 to the endless diggers 40, 41. A horizontal conveyer of any desired form. designated generally by the numeral 48, is mounted through but inde-l pendent of the digger heads i35, 36 and is supported by standards 49 from the bracket frame 29. The horizontal conveyer 48 is adapted to receive earth from the endless diggers 40, 41 and deliver the'same at one side or another of the machine. A shaft 50 is journaled for rotation in bearings 51 carried by the bracket frame 29 and'extends beneath the conveyer 48. A bevel gear 52 is fixed to the inner end of the shaft 50 and is in mesh with and adapted to be driven by a bevel gear 53 fixed to a shaft 54 journaled in the bracket 'frame 29. A pulley 55 is fixed to the shaft 54 and is connected by a belt 56 to a pulley 17a fixed to the crank shaft 17 and adapted to drive, through the said shaft 54 and bevel gears 53, 52, the shaft 50. The endless belt 56 passes beneath direction pulleys 57, 58 mounted for rotation in a pulley block 59, which pulley blockis yieldingly connected by an' expansive coil spring` 60, t0 the frame 10. This yielding connection permits vertical movement of the bracket framev 29 as above described.

The horizontal conveyer 48 is driven by a sprocket chain 60 passing over a sprocket wheel 61 fixed to one of the conveyer shafts and over a sprocket wheel 62 on the forward extremity of the'shaft 50.

The digging mechanism is adapted for bodily rectilinear reciprocation, during operation, transversely of the bracket frame 29,' whereby the digging devices cut a path of approximately twice the width ofthe space between the outer extremities ofthe digging devices. Any desired,means ,may be employed tov accomplish this lateral oscil* lation of the digging mechanism. For this purpose I have shown a bevel gear 63 fixed to the shaft 50 and meshing with and adapted to drive a bevel gear 64 (dotted lines Fig.

1) fixed to a crank shaft 65 journaled for rotation in the bracket frame 29. The crank shaft 65 is connected by a pitman 66 to a wrist pin 67 in'a cross member 68 connecting the digger heads 35, 36.

The lateral conveyer 48 may be provided with a pivoted extension 69 adapted to be folded out of the way at-times as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

An arm 70 is /pivoted by a bolt 71 to the lower end of the mast 38, which mast is adjustable as to length as described in my companion application above referred to.. The arm 70, which preferably is formed of telescoping members adapted to be secured together by a set screw 72, carries on its'free end sprocket wheels 73 adapted to engage the chains of the endless digger 40 at times,

as shown by dotted lines 1, to the end aaeaiel of altering the angle of the excavating devices in their upward movement. This also obviates the necessity of removing a portion of the excavating devices when the telescoping masts are shortened. Any suitable means such as arms 76 (see Fig. 1) may be employed for setting and holding the arms 70 in position. It is to be understood that the arms 70 and sprocket wheels 7 3-are supplied for each of the masts 38. 39, although only one is shown in the drawing.

Arms 74 are fixed to the lower portion of the bracket frame 29 and project forwardly and downwardly toward the lower ends of 4the excavating devices. The arms 74 carry tion wheels 13, 14 and just at the rear of the lower ends of the excavating devices. It is the function of the crumbing blade 75 to catch loose earth which may be removed or dropped by the excavating devices and to collect, gather, carry and push forward such loose earth so that it may be taken up by the excavating devices at their lowest points of travel.

The prime advantage of this machine lies in the fact f carrying the endless digging devices ahead .of the machine, so that the machine travels in the path as it is cleared, the earth being delivered to wagons or other conveyances at either side of the machine. The lateral oscillation of the diggingdevices permits the digging of a path'considerably Wider than such devices. It is to be understood that one or any number of digging devices may be employed; but it is the most effective.

It is believed the friction drive is also a Valuable feature of this machine, in that it admits ofmore perfect control of the speed.

I claim as my invention- A digging machine comprising in combination a truck, a bracket' frame mounted for vertical movement in advance of and carried by said truck, a frame mounted for reciprocation on said bracket frame and in a direction' transverse to the body of the truck,-A

WALTER s. BALEs.

Witnesses:

EARL M. SINCLAIR, E. P. HUDSON.

V deemed that4 two spaced diggers as shown are 

